It was nice to be among islanders in Massachusetts

Recently I spent a week in a quaint New England town by the name of Burlington, Massachusetts. Home of Burlington Mall. 

I did not feel out of place, as it appears, with the large number of Bermudians I ran into, that Burlington Mass is actually the tenth parish of Bermuda.

You see Burlington Mass is also the home of three fine establishments that Bermudians flock to in droves:

• Burlington Mall;

• Hyatt House;

• Lahey Clinic;

• Hyatt house.

In Burlington Mass you will find a place by the name of Hyatt House. A 150 room ‘home away from home.’ Rooms are fully kitted with TV/DVD, full kitchenette ,fridge, microwave, stove, oven, cutlery, dishes and of course the kitchen sink.

Downstairs you will find a full laundry including detergent. A fully equipped gym and business centre.Complimentary buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Free shuttle service to Lahey or nearby malls. They definitely exemplify service with a smile.

Lahey Clinic

Just around the corner from Hyatt House, there lies Lahey clinic. Ah, Lahey clinic. Do not let the name fool you. By size alone, it is about three times the size of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, with parking space for 1,000 vehicles.

Friendly and professional staff, 24-hour patient visitation. Menus for you to choose a wide variety of food from. Every room a private room. Free Wi-Fi and cable TV.  Heck, they even let you use your cellphone or tablet throughout the hospital. 

At times I wondered if it was a hospital, or a hotel with medical staff. I hope our new wing has these same modern amenities.

Bermudians

The most important side of the Burlington experience was running into Bermudians of every age, gender and hue. And you know how we Bermudians act when we see each other abroad.

We click, we bond, we embrace. We shop together, we eat together, we crack jokes together. The ‘Bermudian spirit’ we all grew up with, is transported to Burlington. We look out for each other, go to each other’s rooms for to chill or to have dinner that we have cooked for each other. And when time to part, we hug and tell each other “See you when you get back Bermy”

This is the Bermuda we must never get too rich or too sophisticated to forget or replace. This is the Bermuda we must instill in our future generations.

911

The sad reality is if any one of us has to go to Lahey, it means we are already in deep medical crisis. Lahey for all its niceness, is a centre for treatment of heart and cancer diseases.

My fellow Bermudians, as great as Lahey and Hyatt house are, we must do all that we can to avoid even going there to begin with. 

Life and death is in the power of our fork and knives. As a country we are slowly eating ourselves to a quick but painful death. 

In upcoming columns, I will speak to health issues and dietary changes we must all make, now. Bermuda, it truly is “time for change”. To those at Lahey or heading to Lahey, our prayers are with you.